Co-Founders

Karen Young, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Karen co-founded Sweet Readers with a matching investment from her mother after seeing the remarkable engagement between her daughter Sophie, her mother Dorothy and the clients at her mother’s day program and the empowerment that followed.

Sophie Young, Co-Founder and Leadership Council President

Sophie co-founded Sweet Readers when she was in the fifth grade, first by setting up her own interactive “lab” at her grandmother’s day program and then by engaging eight classmates and the American Folk Art Museum.

Eileen Bannon, Esq.

Linda DeCherrie, MD

David Ellis

President Emeritus, Museum of Science
President Emeritus, Lafayette College

Eileen Neiman

Board Chair Emeritus,
Rye Arts Center

Karen Young

Co-Founder & CEO,
Sweet Readers

Science Advisory

We are honored to have had the following scientists share their knowledge with our Sweet Readers and Young Leaders, serving as leaders in our training process and/or interviewees for our Leadership Council’s Interview Series.

Dr. Karen Duff

Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain
Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons

Maria Vega

Katia Wasilewska

Erin Withstandley

Sophie Young

Fanny Zhao

Ambassadors

Founding Sweet Readers

In March, 2011, seven fifth graders, Sophie’s classmates and the American Folk Art Museum took a chance on Sweet Readers. The founding Sweet Readers went through rigorous (and fun) Playshop!® training with help from poets, a drama teacher and a board game developer, together with adults from Sophie’s Grandma’s adult day program, started Sweet Readers with a pilot at the American Folk Art Museum!

Sophie A., Hanna, Bates, Sophie Y., Isabel, Willa, Kai and Summer

Founding Young Leaders

Annabel, Emma, Benji, Izzy, Ava, Miles, Sophie

Young Leaders

We are so very proud of our Young Leaders, a select group of high school Sweet Readers Alumni.